Category: News

We intend to reopen for bike hire on the 1st July 2020; government policy permitting. There will be strict measures in place to try to ensure the good health of all cyclists hiring bikes these will be as follows.

All bikes for hire must be pre booked and paid for in advance via the online booking portal on this web site.

All clients booking bikes will be individually contacted by email to confirm the booking and arrange a collection time.

Collection times will be staggered to try to ensure minimal contact with other clients hiring bikes on the same day.

The minimum hire period is for one days hire, or multiple days thereof.

All bikes will be full cleaned and wiped down with appropriate cleaning products to minimise any bacterial transfer between clients.

Return of the bikes at the end of hire will be agreed at the time of hire.

I ask for full cooperation from all hirers to ensure maximum safety and efficiency during this transitional period. Parking and toilet facilities on site will remain available. I look forward to welcoming you all to this beautiful part of the Lake District National Park.

We are shut down in isolation as the pandemic continues to spread throughout the world. Yet we are still receiving phone calls from people wishing to travel to the Lake District to hire bikes. These attempts are in direct contradiction to the government’s movement restrictions. The Lake District National Park is, in effect, closed to all but essential travel.

My family and I are very fortunate to be in the situation as to be able to get out on our bikes. We have been investigating and mapping new off road rides for MTB E-bikes and covering the Lakeland lanes on our Enigma titanium road bikes. Yet we know the virus is very close as my daughter Beth a nurse has been treating cases of COVID-19 in her hospital in Kendal. We all remain very vigilant and adhere to the government guidelines to try to bring this pandemic to an end. But the end is not in the immediate future and I cannot forsee the bikes being available for hire until the end of the summer.

Here in the Lake District artists have been inspired for centuries with the awe inspiring landscape. But with the advent of mass tourism peoples conception of what and where to see what is being altered from the victorian ideal. Today with minds focused in an electronic world what is right in front of you is often ignored.

But not on a bike when concentration is needed and a second by second evaluation of the outside world is required. You cannot cycle without being acutely aware of everything around you.

So why not awaken your senses by cycling through the Lake District and who knows it may lead to art.

Whatever the weather, cycling in the Lake District is a wellness adventure. What better than taking in the fresh air, blown in by the prevailing westerly winds than the Lake District? Now recognised as a World Heritage Site, this is the way to improve your wellness while cycling through the beautiful varied landscape of quiet South Cumbria. Take a guided cycling wellness adventure or just cycle off, self-guided, we have a vast array of bikes to make sure your cycling is perfect. Want to cover more miles with lass effort, then the E-Bikes are for you with batteries to assist you throughout a day’s cycling.

We are here to help and ensure you have a great wellness cycling adventure in the Lake District National Park.

The helmets available to rent while you cycle off into the Lake Districts countryside are all top quality. Manufactured to comply with British standards, we have reliable names such as Kask, Cannondale, Proviz, Specialised ,Kali, Bell and Mavic. All are very light and comfortable to wear, with a range of sizes from small to extra large.

Is it compulsory to wear a helmet in the UK? No it is not but I do recommend it so to do.

Why? This was emphasised recently when an experienced cyclist skidded on some black ice and was saved from severe head injuries by her helmet. The helmet smashed to absorb the impact and the cyclist got away with a black eye and a grazed forehead.

One never knows what is around the corner as there is always a risk with any activity.

Here at Lake District Bikes we have a great selection of fast road bikes in a range of sizes from 48-60 frame sizes. Therefore we can accommodate every size of Triathlete who may wish to hire a top road bike for the many Triathlons which now take place in the Lake District. Increase your chances of a really competitive time by hiring a Flagship road bike. Extra light carbon or titanium frames will inspire you to additional speed in the cycling section of your Triathlon. Bikes can be delivered and collected to/from you at additional cost.

No longer in May the date for 2020 has been changed to 7th June 2020. Will this make this ride easier in balmy June weather?

For the last couple of years the “Fred” has been blessed with perfect cycling conditions of warm sunny almost calm days. Old hands of riding the “Fred” in May will remember the severe weather with sleet, rain, wind and cold of previous years.

Is this challenge being diminished in severity by moving to a June date? I think so, as part of the mystique of the “Fred” is the uncertainty of the lakeland weather and how this can add to the severity of this Fred Whitton Challenge.

Need a bike to help you along the roads and up the many climbs? There are several bikes that can be hired; all suitably geared to help you complete the “Fred”. But stock is limited in the Trek or Enigma hire fleet so it is essential to book your bike via this website well in advance of June.

Enjoy your cycling pounding out the miles in preparation for the “Fred”!

As we enter a new decade we have increased our fleet of hire bikes. More size range in the E-bike section, a new section of Gravel bikes and an increased range of road bikes to hire. To accommodate these additions I have rearranged the storage and repainted the floor… a real spring clean ready for the 2020 bike hire season. I look forward to meeting new cyclists and welcoming back returning cyclists.

There has never been a better time to try one of my top road bikes in 2020. The rental price has dropped by a massive 25% to encourage serious cyclists to experience the very best road bikes. Some have electronic Shimano Di2 gears, all have top specification components. These Bikes be they TREK or ENIGMA are the very top of their respective brands and are not usually available in hire fleets. You have to ride them to appreciate the difference!

Also there are flagship bikes in the E-Bike section and the Gravel Bike section waiting for you to hire them. Oh yes this is our new Cocker puppy waiting to greet you in 2020, she is called Ness.